Apparatus for removing roots and the like from peat.



I. S. WHITAKER.

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING ROOTS AND THE LIKE FROM PEAT.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJI. I9I3.

1 1 53, 66 1 Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET IL INVENTOR WITNESSES Q/M 4 Ic -Wag,

1 9 @MJQ J 7 ATTORNEY J. S. WHITAKER APPARATUS FOR REMOVING ROOTS AND THE LIKE FROM PEAT.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2I. 1913.

1,153,661. PatentedSept. 11, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A 1 WITNESE BES dw SEL XIQEQ fi W4 g 74M; 601M325 J. S. WHITAKER.

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING ROOTS AND 'THE LIKE FROM FEAT. APPLICATION FILED AUG.21. 1913.

1 ,1 53,661 Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

4gagggww/ ATTORNEY CDLUMBIA PLANOflR-APH cc WASHINGTON, D, 1:.

J. S. WHITAKER.

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING ROOTS AND THE LIKE FROM PEAT.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2I.1913.

PatentedSept. 14, 1915.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

vg messzs (9M 6a d ATTORNEY COLUMBIA PLANGGRAPH CO" WASHINGTON. D. C-

nrrr Fa JAMES SIDNEY WHITAKER, OF DUIVIFR-IES, SCOTLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 WETCARBONIZING- LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING BOOTS AND THE LIKE FROM PEAT.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES SIDNEY VHlTAKER, of 61 Loreburn street, Dumfrles, Scotland, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Removing Roots and the like from Peat, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus by which roots and other large objects are automatically removed from peat, without being accompanied by an unduly large quantity of the latter.

The apparatus into which the excavated peat is fed is, according to this invention, provided with an element which feeds the peat through the apparatus, and with another element against which the roots or other large objects come into contact in passing through the apparatus. When thls occurs, one of the elements acts as an abutment, against and over which the other element, by continuing its movement, pushes the object until separated from the peat mass, and ejected from theapparatus.

The accompanying drawings show two,

forms of apparatus according to this invention.

Figure 1 shows one form in sectional elevation; Fig. 2 a plan of the same, with part of the upper structure removed; while Fig. 3 is an elevation, as seen from the left hand side of'Fig. 1. Fig. 4. is a sectional elevation ,of a second form of the apparatus.

The root or like separating apparatus, illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, comprises a hopper a, beneath which are arranged a series of rotatable bladed elements, which are secured upon parallel shafts b and c, supported on a suitable framework 03 below the hopper outlet. Each bladed element on the shaft Z) comprises a boss 6 of fairly large diameter, and four outwardly extending blades 7 of T section; while interposed between each of the bladed elements on the shaft 7) are guides 9, attached to the hopper a. 0n the other shaft 0, the bladed elements comprise a serrated boss it, having projections 2', and four outwardly extending blades is, vwhich are narrower than the blades 7", and can pass between the latter.

The shafts and c are rotated in a counterclockwise direction, as indicated by the arrows, the power for this'purpose being transmitted to the shaft 0, and from the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

Application filed August 21, 1913. Serial No. 785,961.

latter to the shaft 6, by means of a toothed wheel Z rigidly connected to the shaft 0, and engaging with an intermediate pinion m, which gears with a toothed wheel a, connected to the shaft 6 the slipping pressure of which can be varied by adjusting the tension of a spring 0. On the side of the shaft 0 remote from the feeding blades f, guide bars 39 are arranged between the bladed elements, while separate doors 9 for eachof said elements are pivoted at r to the hopper a. and maintained in contact with the guide bars 79 by weighted levers 8. Situated between the guide bars p on the outside of the doors 9, are star wheels t, mounted upon a shaft a, which is driven by a chain c from the shaft 0, for the purpose of carrying separated roots or the like from the neighborhood of the doors 9. Suitable scraping devices, such as a rod w, maintained in contact with the boss 6, and the blades f, by means of a weighted lever a, movable about a shaft 1 are also provided to prevent material adhering to the blades 7.

hen the device is in operation, the peat of the feeding blades 7, the obstruction be 9 ing thus automatically carried upward, and thrown against the doors Q, which open and allow the obstruction to pass down the bars 79, and be carried away from the neighborhood of the doors 9 by after which the normal operation of the apparatus is resumed.

In the event of the peat containing a long object, such as a stick, which is thin enougi'l to pass between the chance it assumed a position parallel to a plane in which these blades move, the longitudinal rib presented upward by the T- sectioned blades 7 during movement of the by a friction clutch j, 60

On an ob- 7' has been adjusted to blades la, if by any the star wheels 2,,

latter downward between the blades is W111 almost without exception deflect the object from such a position, and so prevent it pass-V t5 3. Apparatus 'for separating roots and such door or ing through the machine.

According to the modified form of the device illustrated in Fig. A, a plurality of elements having blades f are mounted upon the shaft 6 below the outlet of the hopper a.

Guide bars it attached to the latter extend between the bladed elements, and are continued beyond the weighted doors Q as guide bars 19, having the same function as those 1n thepreviously described form. The guide bars p, however, are connected by an interr mediate part a, 15

which is inclined at such an angle to the cooperating blades 7 that the shearing strength of the root or'other ob ect is always greater than the normal pressure.

exerted on the bars a, multiplied by the coeiiicient of friction between the object and V When this form of the material of the bars. the apparatus is in operation, the peat dlscharged from the hopper a is fed downward by the blades 7 of the rotating elements, but on a root, for example, being encountered, the root is caught between the blades 7 and the bars 2, and instead of being sheared, 1s caused to slide along the bars 2, until it contacts with the doors 9, whereupon it is automatically ejected from the apparatus, and falls down the bars pintov the receptacle for separated roots. Inthis form of the device,

the use of a friction clutch for driving the shaft 6, which carries the feedlng elements,

is rendered unnecessary,"although in some cases it may be found to be desirable.

In either form of the apparatus above described, it willibe understood that instead of providing a number of doors through which the roots are e ected, a single door, having suitable slots to permit rotation of the adjacent bladed elements may be employed,

doors in all cases being arranged to. open just sufficiently to permit ejection ofthe root or the like, but at the same time prevent escape of any of the peat.

I claim 1. Apparatus for separating roots and other objects from peat, comprising in combination a moving element, an abutment along which the root or other object is pushed by the moving element until separated from the peat, and diverting means to prevent such objects passing through the apparatus by assuming a position substantially parallel to a plane in which said element moves; v

.2. Apparatus for separating roots and other objects from peat, comprising in combination cooperating comb-like elements capable of relative movement, and diverting other objects from peat, comprising in com-. 7

bination a rotating element, a' plurality of blades mounted thereon, a plurality of members cooperating in shearing relationship with said blades and diverting means to prevent an object/passing through the apparatusby assuming a position substantially parallehto a plane in which said'blades -move. 9

4E. Apparatus for separating roots and other objects from peat, comprising in com bination a plurality of-moving relationship with said moving elements, and diverting means to prevent an object passing between the stationary elements by assuming position substantially parallelto a plane in which said blades move.-

5. Apparatus for separat'ng roots and other objects from peat, comprising" in combination a plurality of moving elements, a

v lad'es, a plurality of stationaryelements lnshearing 4 plurality of stationary elements in shearing relationship with said moving elements,and

diverting means on the moving elementsto prevent objects which have one dimension greater than-but another dimension less than the distance between adjacent stationaryelements, passing betweensuch elements by assuming a position substantially parallel to a plane in which the moving elements move.

6. Apparatus for separating roots and other objects from peat, comprising in combination a rotating element, a plurality of blades thereon, a plurality of stationary elements between which the 'moving blades pass, and a longitudinal rib on the side of .each moving blade which is uppermost when the blades are passingbetween the stationary elements. j i

7. Apparatus for separating roots and other objects from peat, comprising in combination a rotated element, a plurality of blades thereon, a plurality of members co acting in shearing relationship with said blades and scraping means contacting with moving parts to remove any peat adhering thereto. 7

8. Apparatus for separating roots and other objects from peat, comprising in com' bination a rotating element, a plurality of;

blades thereon, a plurality ofstationaryele ments in shearing relationship with said blades and scraping means contacting consecutively:with said blades to remove any peat adhering I thereto.

9. Apparatus for separating roots. and: r

: other objects from'peat, comprising 1n combination a rotating element, aplurality of blades mounted thereon, aplurality ofmembers co-acting in'shea'ring relationship with said blades, and a plurality of doors for'the exit of objectsflseparatedby the rotating element. a r

10. Apparatus for separating roots'and other objects from pea-t, comprising in combination a rotating element, a plurality of blades mounted thereon, a plurality of stationary elements between which said blades pass, and with which they cooperate in shearing relationship, a longitudinal rib on the back of each blade to prevent passage between stationary elements of long objects substantially parallel to a plane in which said blades and elements move, scraping means contacting with the blades to remove peat therefrom, and a plurality of doors for the exit of the separated objects.

11. Apparatus for separating roots and other objects from peat, comprising in combination, a rotating element, a plurality of blades thereon, a plurality of members cooperating in shearing relationship with said blades, and a longitudinal rib on the side of each blade which is uppermost when the blades are passing between the cooperating members.

12. Apparatus for separating roots and other objects from peat, comprising in combination, a rotating element, a plurality of blades thereon, a plurality of members cooperating in shearing relationship with said blades, a longitudinal rib'on the side of each blade which is uppermost when the blades are passing between the cooperating members, and a plurality of doors for the exit of objects separated by the rotating element.

13. Apparatus for separating roots and other objects from peat, comprising in combination, a rotating element, aplurality of blades thereon, a plurality of members, cooperating in shearing relationship with said blades, a longitudinal rib on the side of each blade which is uppermost when the blades are passing between the cooperating members, a plurality of doors for the exit of objects separated by the rotating element, and scraping means contacting with moving parts to remove peat therefrom.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES SIDNEY WHITAKER.

Witnesses:

JOHN Horn JOHNSTON, ANDREW B. SKILLING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, I). O. 

